This book is devoted to the chemical mechanisms of hair coloring and is intended for hairdressers, colorists, instructors, and technologists who need to understand color not only as an image in the mirror, but as the result of specific reactions. Inside, the book analyzes in detail hair as a substrate for coloring, the principles behind forming a natural shade, changes in melanin during lightening, the workings of oxidative dyes, precursors and couplers, direct pigments, oxidizers, the influence of pH, the action of reducing color removers, and chelators, as well as the role of post-color care.
The main goal of the book is to show why and how the color on hair appears, changes, washes out, gets destroyed, and becomes correctable in exactly this way. The presentation is based on current scientific sources, data from cosmetic chemistry, professional experience in hair coloring, and the author’s original color analysis system.